Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that his office is working with a bipartisan coalition of a majority of state attorneys general on an investigation to evaluate whether manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids.

In the ongoing investigation, Attorney General Paxton and his counterparts are using a variety of legal means –including subpoenas for documents and testimony – to help determine what role drug manufacturers may have played in creating or prolonging the opioid epidemic.

Prescription and illicit opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths, which have quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999. There were more than 33,000 opioid-related deaths reported nationwide in 2015, including 1,186 in Texas.

“This is a public safety and public health issue. Opioid painkiller abuse and related overdoses are devastating families here in Texas and throughout the country,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The multi-state investigation will help us determine the appropriate course of action we can take as attorneys general to address the opioid epidemic.”